open letter to Planning Commission

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Revise open letter to the mayor to be targeted towards each group, plus highlight changes since it passed CivicSD board meeting.

• [ ] Planning Commission

http://simpixelated.github.io/san-diego-downtown-mobility-plan/upcoming-advocacy-opportunities/

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Common issues to counter:

Kettner will remove too many parking spaces for businesses to support

Todd Gloria and the Smart Growth and Land Use voted to approve original plan on State St, so this may no longer be an issue. But removing any parking anywhere continues to be an issue.

State will make it dangerous and congested for church and school

Brad Richter and Civic SD staff have provided safe alternatives, and the LIA plan to increase parking will remove a lane on State street anyway. Plus Todd Gloria mentioned that removing lanes has not led to increased congestion anywhere in his district.

Beech will create conflicts with driveways and condo residents

LIRA rep made this her focus and LIA rep brought pictures to back it up. Brad Richter mentioned that most condo entrances were on north/south cross streets, not Beech, but Gloria seemed worried about the number pictured on the LIA presentation. Brad also showed pic in his presentation with mitigation following standards (maybe NACTO). They just have to be safely designed; besides bikes are already crossing these entrances without lanes.

Councilmen Sherman worried about losing parking and having to walk several blocks, especially with his knee injury. Also mentioned being too old to use things like Uber. Worried about parking losses and how it will affect small businesses.

Need to hit this hard with data. People For Bikes has a great list. Should combine that with SD Commuter Info and anything else that can help prove that bikes lanes will be better for business than a parking spot. Also combine with Donald Shoup info about how San Diego may already have too much parking (or at least underpriced parking) as is.

Cost

Little Italy resident mentioned this at Civic SD Board Meeting: "Who is going to pay for this?". Todd Gloria tweeted that he would be interested in knowing how Mayor Faulconer plans to pay for the plan. Another opposed at meeting asked Todd Gloria how he could support taking away parking revenue.

It would be interesting to know how many metered parking spots are being affected. Can counter overall financial gains with article about water run-off costs, about increase in property values next to bike lanes, about reduction in road damage due to cars when replacing a travel lane.

As for the $64m price tag, Brad has mentioned SANDAG, but where else will this come from?

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Bike Lanes Are Good Business

More Customers

Bike lanes bring in new customers who wouldn't have driven or walked previously.

Enhancing access for all road users yields new customers and potential sources of revenue. https://slowstreets.wordpress.com/2016/02/05/a-better-business-case-for-bike-lanes/

Business underestimate how many customers arrive by walking / biking / transit http://sf.streetsblog.org/2013/08/01/geary-brt-plan-watered-down-to-appease-parking-obsessed-merchants/

In a study of merchants and shoppers in Bristol, UK, researchers found that merchants guessed that 41% of their customers had arrived by car, when in fact only 22% had done so. Merchants also over-estimated how far away their customers lived, and disagreed with their customers about the impact of transit improvements. A study of Graz, Austria, found similar misconceptions among merchants. Shoppers and how they travel, 2006

Bikes take up less space, which means more customers than a single parking space.

ten customers who arrive by bike fit in the parking space of one customer who arrives by car. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9eak1qZWQ4WYnRDN3NIQWlsQXM/view

Increasing the comfort of biking to a commercial district makes its real estate more productive, because six bikes or more can park in the space of one car. In a Melbourne study of dollars spent per minute by various shoppers, filled bike parking brought in 69 cents per hour per square foot, while filled auto parking brought in 19 cents. Lee, A., 2007 - What is the economic contribution of cyclists compared to car drivers in inner Melbourne's shopping strips, Masters of Urban Planning thesis, University of Melbourne

It costs the same to build parking for 75 bikes as it does for just 4 cars. Tran, V., 2010 - "Student Commuter Trends: More students are biking, less driving," The Daily Vanguard Online, 5 February 2010

Tourism Increased

http://www.peopleforbikes.org/statistics/category/economic-statistics#economic-benefits-of-the-bicycling-industry-and-tourism

Better Customers

Bikers / walkers spend more money.

people who walk and cycle often shop more often and spend more overall than people who drive http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2015/03/the-complete-business-case-for-converting-street-parking-into-bike-lanes/387595/

A 20-year study of efforts to make streets less convenient for autos and better for pedestrians and cyclists found that after changes are implemented, businesses in these areas show stronger growth than auto-friendly shopping centers. Hass-Klau, C., 1993 - Impact of pedestrianization and traffic calming on retailing: A reviews of the evidence from Germany and the UK, Transport Policy, 1, 21-31

After Mississippi's Longleaf Trace trail opened, sales in a nearby bike shop doubled and have risen ever since. The business's growth generated an additional $175,000 in state sales tax, of which $31,500 was returned to the city. Moore, J., 2011 - "Bike trail boosts business in Mississippi," Bikeleague.org Blog, 16 March 2011

In a study of retail spending, people who arrived by bike, on foot or by transit spent more per month than those customers arriving by car at corner stores, restaurants and bars; only at grocery stores did people arriving by car spend more per month. Clifton, K. 2013 - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium

More Marketing

Many programs for promoting bicycling and walking.

• SD Commuter Discount
• iCommute SD
• BikeSD, etc.

68% of businesses involved in Portland, Oregon's SmartTrips Business program said that promoting biking and walking helped them market their business. Maus, J., 2010 - "PBOT releases results of SmartTrips Business Program," BikePortland.org, 19 February 2010

Attractive to Pedestrians

Buffer created by bike lane reduces car noise, increases safety, making for a calmer, more inviting sidewalk which increases the likelihood pedestrians will stay and make more purchases.

https://slowstreets.wordpress.com/2016/02/05/a-better-business-case-for-bike-lanes/

More Property Taxes

Bike lanes increase property taxes by increasing land value by increasing demand from millennials and people of all ages seeking neighborhoods that are convenient for a car-free or low-car lifestyle.

http://www.peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/here-are-the-4-ways-protected-bike-lanes-help-local-businesses

In Minneapolis-St. Paul, for every 400 meters closer a median-priced home is to an off-street bicycle facility, its value increases by $510. Krizek, K., 2006 - Two approaches to valuing some of bicycle facilities' presumed benefits, Journal of the American Planning Association, 72, 309-19

Houses located in areas with above-average levels of walkability [or bikeability] are worth up to $34,000 more than similar houses in areas with average walkability levels. Cortright, J., 2009 - "Walking the Walk: How walkability raises home values in U.S. cities," CEOs for Cities

According to a study of the Little Miami Scenic Trail, for every foot closer a house is to the trail, its price increases by $7.05. Karadeniz, D., 2008 - The Impact of the Little Miami Scenic Trail on Single Family Property Values, University of Cincinnati Masters Thesis

Two-thirds of Omaha, Nebraska, residents who live near bike trails believe the trails would increase the selling price of their home. Greer, D. L., 2000 - Omaha Recreational Trails: Their Effect on Property Values and Public Safety, National Park Service, University of Nebraska at Omaha, June, 2000

Homes located on a bike boulevard are worth $5,757 more than homes not on one. Rice, E., 2008 - Valuing Bike Boulevards in Portland Through Hedonic Regression, USP 570 Analytical Term Paper

Rents along New York City's Times Square pedestrian and bicycle paths increased 71% in 2010, the greatest rise in the city. New York City Department of Transportation, 2011 - Bicycle Friendly Community grant application

Homeowners are willing to pay a $9,000 premium to live within 1,000 feet of the Little Miami Scenic Trail. vom Hofe, R., and Parent, O., in University of Cincinnati, 2011 - "New Research Finds that Homeowners and City Planners Should 'Hit the Trail' When Considering Property Values"

http://www.peopleforbikes.org/statistics/category/economic-statistics#economic-benefits-of-bicycling-facilities-and-transporation

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Dear Planning Commission Members:

As a resident of Little Italy along with my wife and daughter, I ask you to approve the Downtown Mobility Plan (DMP). There is a vocal opposition unhappy about the loss of parking, but I ask you to put the longterm health and safety of our citizens ahead of cheap car storage on public streets. Approving the DMP is a necessity for future generations, but it can help improve current local businesses by making downtown a world class destination for tourists and residents alike.

Parking in dense, urban areas is not as important as most business owners think. In fact, many tend to overestimate how many customers arrive by car by as much as 32%. Many of their current customers arrive by foot, bike, and transit. The addition of bike lanes attracts new riders adding new sources of revenue. Studies have shown that customers who arrive by bike spend at least as much as those who arrive by car, if not more.

The buffer created by the protected lanes will help calm traffic, creating a safer and more inviting sidewalk for pedestrians, leading to spin-off revenue for nearby businesses. People flock to Little Italy for this exact reason, which is why the Little Italy Association is willing to close several blocks to vehicular traffic on a weekly basis for the farmer's market and soon permanently for Piazza Famiglia.

Bicycle friendly businesses are already benefiting from nearly cost-free marketing channels thanks to programs like SD Bike Commuter Discount, SANDAG's own iCommute, and events hosted by BikeSD, SDCBC, and others. Every business within a block of the new cycle tracks will be able to maximize this cheap promotion. San Diego is already receiving national attention for the proposed plan and tourism will inevitably increase with a safe bicycling network.

Protected bike lanes have been proven time and again to not only avoid negatively impacting businesses, but to be a net positive for the whole city. They will raise property values, attract hi-tech companies and their millennial employees, improve health and safety, and help the city achieve it's Climate Action Plan goals.

Please help shape the right future for San Diego and vote for the Downtown Mobility Plan.

Sincerely,

Concerned Resident,

Jordan Kohl